7 Ways to Use Explainer Videos for Publicity, Promotion

Explainer videos tell your company’s story at your website, and explain how visitors will find value at the site.

My video is the the first thing you see on my homepage at The Publicity Hound website, and it’s gotten more than 2,000 views. But these short videos aren’t only for your home page.

After I wrote about this infographic from QuickSprout in today’s email tips, I started thinking about ways you can use these videos for publicity and promotion. Here are seven of my own ideas:

1. Offer yourself as a subject matter expert.

You can include an explainer video in your online media room and invite journalists and bloggers to call on you if they need commentary, background or story ideas on your topics.

2. Explain why people should sign up for your email list.

Ideally, the video should include the promise of a lead magnet–that is a digital freebie like a cheat sheet, checklist, ebook, video or something else of great value. The ideal place for this video is on a landing page like this one for The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week that explains all the reasons for subscribing. Notice the landing page is free of links that can distract visitors and keep them from the ultimate goal of getting them to subscribe.

3. In press releases for new products and services.

These short videos would be ideal not only for sales pages, but also for press releases during the launch for a product or service. Demonstrate a product in step-by-step detail. Here’s one I just discovered this week for Shovelution, a two-handled shovel that saves you from having to bend over while you scoop up snow and throw it to the side. The video could be a lot shorter, but even this long one demonstrates the product better than text ever could.

4. Within your bio.

I can’t remember the last time I saw a video as part of someone’s bio. But why not?

5. Instructions for guest bloggers on how to pitch an idea for a blog post.

I don’t remember ever seeing an explainer video for this, either. I need to display this page, which explains how to pitch a guest post for The Publicity Hound blog, more prominently. A video would be a fabulous edition, don’t you think?

6. As part of an email follow-up series sent after someone buys a product or service.

Also known as autoresponders, these messages keep you in front of customers. These emails can also result in extra sales because you can suggest related products and services that dovetail with their original purchases.

7. Encourage people to hire you as a speaker or consultant.

Many speakers include video clips of themselves on stage. But why not create another that explains to event planners how you will bring value to their event?

If you do consulting, explain how you can save people time, money and aggravation trying to solve a knotty problem on their own.

Don’t let yourself get frustrated by the sky-high prices associated with producing the 12 types of videos shown in the infographic above. That’s what you’d pay if you hired a big agency to produce it for you. With the right software, compelling visuals and a tight script, you could creative some of the simpler videos yourself.

These are my ideas. Let’s hear yours. If you’ve created an explainer video you’d like to share, include the link in the Comments and tell us a little about it.

7 Ways to Use Explainer Videos for Publicity, Promotion

Related Posts

#PublishingatSea Day 3: Our First Port Day in Colorful Haiti

Day 2: Best Book Marketing Tips for Authors

PR Writing Tip: 200 Powerful Words to Use Instead of ‘Good’

Create Content, Pitch Stories on Dealing with Election Stress

Free Training Today: How to Create a Killer Author Media Kit

New Book Helps Avoid Expensive Book Publishing Mistakes

11 Reasons to Attend the AuthorU Extravaganza Sept. 15-17